[Monster outbreak. Crazy.]

  Monster outbreaks were a rare phenomenon. Suzume hadn't had to deal with one yet.

  Dungeon portals weren't just a doorway. They doubled as a barrier. A membrane between Earth and whatever pocket dimension the System carved out for its dungeons. While players could walk in and out, everything that belonged inside stayed inside. Monsters couldn't just walk through to the real world any more than fish could decide to leave the ocean and go for a stroll.

  Except when dungeons destabilized. More specifically, when a destabilization got bad enough.

  When a dungeon's stability dropped past a certain threshold, the barrier aspect of the portal started to fail. The barrier weakened. Thinned.

  And then, eventually, it just... stopped working. Monsters could literally just walk out. Step through like they were crossing from one room to another.

  There were mechanisms in place to respond, of course. Players were notified, emergency alerts were triggered, nearby guilds were mobilized.

  But there was always a gap. Those first few minutes where civilians were alone with creatures that had no business existing in shopping districts and residential streets.

  That's when people died.

  Now, Yumi's car screamed through Tokyo traffic like it was being chased.

  "Could you maybe not kill us before we arrive?" Hikari said from the passenger seat. Her hands gripped the door handle. Her voice stayed perfectly level despite the fact that Yumi had just swerved around a bus.

  "I'm an excellent driver."

  "You nearly clipped that taxi."

  "Nearly. Not actually."

  In the backseat, Suzume was wedged against the door with Honoka squeezed beside her. Except there wasn't enough room for four people in fighting gear, so Suzume had ended up sitting on Kasumi's lap instead.

  "This is absurd, isn't it?" Kasumi muttered into Suzume's ear, amused.

  Suzume shifted, trying to find a position that didn't involve her elbow in Kasumi's ribs. It didn't work. Kasumi's arm wrapped around her waist to keep her stable.

  "Stop squirming."

  "I-I'm trying not to."

  "Well, try harder."

  Honoka looked green. Her staff was wedged between her knees, and every sharp turn made her grip it tighter.

  Rina sat on the opposite end. Her expression was blank. If the driving bothered her, she didn't show it.

  Yumi took a corner so hard that Suzume slid sideways. Kasumi caught her.

  "Yumi!"

  "Almost there!"

  Another red light. Yumi ignored it. Horns blared behind them.

  Hikari pulled up a map on her tablet like they weren't actively breaking traffic laws.

  "The outbreak is centered on the Nakano commercial district. Initial reports suggest thirty to forty monsters. Mixed ranks. Portal destabilization was catastrophic—complete barrier failure."

  "Survivors?" Suzume asked.

  "Unknown. Evacuation started seven minutes ago. But the district was crowded. Weekend shopping rush."

  Suzume's stomach tightened.

  The car screeched to a halt at a police barrier. Officers were waving people back, trying to establish a perimeter. Beyond them, the shopping district looked like something out of a disaster film.

  Broken glass everywhere. Storefronts torn open, merchandise scattered across the street. A car had been flipped onto its side, steam rising from its engine. Smoke drifted from a restaurant that was definitely on fire.

  And monsters.

  Kobolds, mostly. Small, quick, with crude weapons and rabid eyes. They darted between buildings, chasing anything that moved. Suzume counted at least twenty from where she stood.

  But there were bigger ones too.

  Three orcs near the center of the district. Each one massive, easily seven feet tall, with thick armor and weapons that looked like they'd been torn from other Players.

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  Players were already engaging. A mage launched fire spells from a rooftop. A tank-class fighter held the line near an electronics store, his shield taking hits from three kobolds at once. More were arriving every minute, guild tags visible on their gear.

  "Out," Hikari said.

  They piled out of the car. Suzume's legs were numb from sitting on Kasumi's lap. She stumbled, caught herself.

  Kasumi shouldered her spear, rolling her neck.

  "Well, that was fun while it lasted."

  Hikari was already moving toward the nearest officer, her tablet out.

  "Dungeon Rescue Guild. We're here to assist with civilian extraction."

  The officer looked skeptical.

  "This is a combat situation. Rescue operations are—"

  "Our specialty." Hikari pulled up their registration documents. "We have authorization to operate during dungeon emergencies. Section 7, Paragraph 4 of the Guild Operations Act."

  The officer squinted at the screen, clearly not reading it.

  "Fine. Just stay out of the combat teams' way."

  "Of course."

  Hikari turned back to the group. Her expression shifted. This was the Hikari who'd led parties through dungeons. The strategist who'd kept people alive when everyone else panicked.

  "Kasumi, you're on combat support. Assist other Players with monster suppression, but don't overextend. We're not here for any spotlight. Honoka, set up near the back. Heal any civilians who make it out of harm's way. Suzume, civilian extraction. Use your Detect Life skill, find anyone trapped nearby and get them out. Rina—" She looked at the grey-haired girl. "You're with Suzume. Help her do her job."

  Rina nodded.

  "Understood."

  "Rules are simple," Hikari continued. "Stay in communication. Don't take unnecessary risks. If something's too dangerous, pull back. We save who we can."

  "Got it," Suzume said.

  Kasumi was already walking toward the combat zone, her spear gleaming.

  "Try not to die without me," she called over her shoulder.

  "That's the plan."

  Suzume activated her skill.

  [Skill Activated: Detect Life]

  [MP: 115 → 110]

  [Range: 50m]

  Signatures bloomed in her mind. Dozens of them. Some moving, some stationary. She filtered out the Players—their signatures were brighter, stronger. What remained were the civilians.

  Most had evacuated. But there were still clusters. A group of three in a restaurant. Two in an apartment building. And one—faint, barely there—in an alley about forty meters north.

  "This way," Suzume said.

  Rina followed without a word.

  They moved through the chaos. A kobold charged them from a side street. Rina's knife flashed. The creature dropped, throat cut, before Suzume even registered the threat.

  "Keep moving," Rina said.

  They kept moving.

  The alley was narrow, barely wide enough for two people. Trash bags lined one side. A dumpster blocked the far end.

  Two people huddled behind the dumpster. A man and a woman, both middle-aged, both terrified. Blood streaked the man's shirt.

  "Rescue Guild," Suzume said. "We're getting you out."

  "There's—" The woman pointed. "There's something—"

  A shadow moved at the alley entrance.

  An orc. Smaller than the ones in the main district, but still dangerous. Level 22, if Suzume had to guess. It turned, saw them, and roared.

  "Rina."

  "On it."

  Rina moved before the orc did. She threw something—a rock, maybe—that hit the creature in the face. It roared again, angrier now, and charged after her as she sprinted back toward the main street.

  Drawing it away.

  Suzume turned to the couple.

  "Can you walk?"

  "Yes."

  "Then move. Now."

  She helped them out of the alley, keeping low, moving fast. Behind them, the orc's roars echoed. Rina was leading it in circles, staying just out of reach, using the terrain to her advantage.

  Suzume got the couple to the police barrier. Honoka was already there, healing a Player who'd taken a nasty cut to the leg.

  "Two more," Suzume said.

  "I see them." Honoka turned to the couple. "Sit down. I'll be right with you."

  Suzume went back.

  The district was thinning out. Most civilians had evacuated. Most monsters were dead or engaged with Players. Kasumi fought alongside a guild team near the shopping center, her spear moving like liquid light.

  Suzume found three more survivors. Then two more. Then one teenage girl hiding in a clothing store, surrounded by broken mannequins.

  Each time, Rina was there. Scouting. Creating distractions. Taking down smaller threats before Suzume even knew they existed.

  By the time the last orc fell—Kasumi's spear through its skull—the operation was over.

  Forty-seven civilians evacuated. Three Player injuries, none fatal. Thirty-eight monsters eliminated.

  [Holy crap, we did it.] Suzume took a moment to breathe. She was still so low-level that whereas no one else nearby was even sweating, she was outright panting. [I need to work on this stamina of mine.]

  The reporters arrived minutes later.

  "Rescue Girl! Can you comment on your guild's response time?"

  "Rescue Girl! Is it true you're operating without full Association approval?"

  "Why is there a Shadow Vipers member with your team?"

  Suzume froze. They knew. Of course they knew.

  Kasumi appeared from nowhere, stepping directly into the camera's view.

  "Shadow Vipers? Never heard of them." She flashed a brilliant smile. "That's Rina Kurogane, our newest recruit. Rogue-class, Level 18, and absolutely invaluable during this operation. Any other questions should be directed to our legal team."

  The reporters swarmed her. Kasumi handled it effortlessly, radiating confidence and charm, pulling all attention away from Suzume and Rina.

  Suzume found Rina sitting against a wall, one hand pressed to her midsection. Blood seeped between her fingers.

  "How bad?" Suzume asked.

  "Not fatal."

  "That's not what I asked."

  Rina moved her hand. The wound was deep. The orc had clipped her at some point.

  Suzume pulled out her first aid kit.

  "Hold still."

  She cleaned the wound, applied pressure, wrapped it in gauze. Rina didn't flinch. Didn't make a sound.

  "Honoka will heal you properly once she's done with the civilians," Suzume said.

  "I can wait."

  Suzume nodded.

  "You did good today."

  Rina looked at her. Really looked at her. Like she was trying to figure out if Suzume meant it.

  "Yeah?"

  "Yeah." Suzume finished tying off the bandage. "You kept people alive. Protected them. That's what we do."

  "I also killed six monsters."

  "That's also what we do."

  Rina was quiet for a moment. Then she leaned her head back against the wall.

  "So?"

  "So what?"

  "... Did I pass?"

  Suzume stood, offered her hand.

  "You're in."

  Rina stared at the hand. Then she took it. Suzume pulled her up.

  "Welcome to the Dungeon Rescue Guild."

  Rina's expression didn't change. But something in her eyes did. Something small and fragile and maybe, just maybe, hopeful.

  "Thanks."

  "Don't make me regret it."

  "I won't."